Hay-loader.



PATENTBD DEC. 5, 1905.-

G. PLUMMER. HAY LOADER.

APPLIOATION FILED rmm, 1905.

a sums-sum 1.

v PATENTED DEG. 5,1905.-

G. PLUMMER. HAY LOADBR. APPLICATION FILED III-EBA, 1906.

atria-um 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATEN'I'ED DEC. 5, 1905.

e. PLUMMBR. HAY LOADER. APPLIOATION PILED'PEBA. 1906.

s arranged in a horizontal or upwardly-inclined To all whom/it may concern.-

amen STATES PATE T orrron'.

GRANT PLUMMER, or SALINA, KANSAS.

'HAY-LOADER;

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application filed February 4,1905. serial No. 244.214..

Be it knownth'at I, GRANT PLUMMER, a

- citizen of the United States, residing at Salina, in the county of Saline and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Hay- Loader, of which the following is a specification;

The invention relates to improvements in I hay-loaders.

The object of the present inventionis to improve the construction of hay-loaders,

' more especially that shown and described in -Patent No. 761,710, granted tome the 7th day of June, 1904, and to provide simple, in-

reach of the driver for controlling the fork,

grain, and itis swung'upwardly when'loaded" expensive, and efficient meanswithin easy whereby the sameisv dropped to the round and held in position. for picking up ay or to retairrthe load in place until it elevated Y and carried tothe desired point and is finally permitted to swing downward under; the

. weightof the load for discharging the same. I

A further obj ectof the inventionto pro} vide means, adaptedto permit thefork to be position for retaining the load in place} and capable of maintaining the fork in such posi- "tion with relation to the ground duringits eninvention consists in the construction and.

tire upward movement. n 4

With these and other objects in view' the novelcombination and arran ement'of parts hereinafter fully described, il ustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out'in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construc- -tion within the scope of the claims'may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective 4 view of a hay-loader constructed in accordance with thisinvention'the fork being inposition'forgathering aload of hay org-rain.

Fig. 2 is a ongitudinal sectional view of the same, the elevatinganddischargingjpositions of the fork being illustrated'in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. .L'is an enlarged? detail perspective view illustratin the clone structionof the drum, the sliding c utch, and the means for controlling the-same. Fig'f 5 I is a sectional viewtakenlongitudinally of the drum and the clutch. 6 is an enlarged 'fork frame 11.

detail perspective view of the rear portion of the machine, parts being broken away to illustrate more clearly the arrangement of the operatlng-levers and their connecting means.

Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the construction of the swinging fulcrum of the forkelevating lever.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts .in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a main or loader frame, which may be constructed in any desired manner, but which is preferably composed of rearwardly-converging side bars and suitable connecting-bars. The main or loader frame is supported by carrying-Wheels 3 and casterwheels 4, located, respectively, at the front and back ofthe frame, the carrying-wheels being mounted'on'and adapted to rotate a transverse drive-shaft 5. The rear end of the main or loader frame is provided with a seat 6for-the accommodation of the driver,

and it has a transverse draft-bar 7, extend- ;ing laterally from the rear portion of the frame and providedfat its extended portion with swingletrees 8 for the attachment of the 'draft-an'imahjbut any other suitable means may be provided for this purpose.-

The main or loader frame is provided at opposite sideswith upwardly-extending supports composed of oppositely-inclined bars or standardsfl) and 10 and having pivoted to for connecting the vertically-movable forkframef to the rear supports of the main or loader frame, The pivots 14 also ierce'and connect-the ripper ends of the inc ined bars or standards-'Q-and 10 and are threaded to receive-nuts. v

The vertically swinging fork carrying frameis com .osed of rearwardly -converging side bars an a front connecting transverse -bar '1 5, located a short distance in rear of the front'ends of the side bars. front ends of'the side bars of .the verticallyswinging frame are pivotallyconnected to a 'tilt'able fork 16, composed of spaced forwardly-extending tines or teeth and trans The extended roo verse connecting-bars. The tiltable fork is provided at the back with an upwardly-extending guard 17, consisting of arms or teeth extending upward from the rear transverse bar 18 of the fork and connected by a crossbar 19. Two upwardly-extending arms or teeth of the guard are located in rear of the cross-piece 19 and are pivoted to the front ends of a pair of rearwardly-extending connecting-bars 21, which have their rear ends adjustably pivoted to a pair of oppositely-disposed upright levers 22. The arms or teeth 20 of the guard are provided with perforated ears or flanges to receive the front ends of the connecting-bars 21, and the crossbar 18 is cut away at opposite sides to rovide recesses 23 to permit the fork to c ear the sides of a vertically-swinging fork-carrying frame. This increases the pivotal movement of the fork, and the recesses are spanned by short pieces 24, upon which the arms or teeth 20 are mounted; but the fork and the fork-carrying frame may be constructed in any other desired manner to permit the desired swing of the former.

The oppositely-disposed upright levers 22 are fulcrumed between their ends on suitable pivots 25 and are provided at their upper arms with perforations to permit the adj ustment of the connecting-bars 21. The lower arms of the levers 22 are also provided with perforations, and a pair of connecting-rods 26 are adjustably connected to the same. The rods extend rearwardly to a transverse rock-shaft 27, ournaled in suitable bearings of the main or loader frame and preferably mounted on the draft bar, to which the swingletrees are connected. The rock-shaft 27 is provided with upwardly extending arms 28 and 29, one of which is elongated to provide an operating arm or lever. elongated arm 29 is provided with a springactuated detent arranged to engage a curved ratchet 30 for securing the arm or lever in its adjustment. The operating-arm or lever 29 is located adjacent to the seat within easy reach of the driver. By adjusting the arm or lever 29 the fork may be swung upwardly or downwardly, and it is capable of being adjusted and held in proper position with relation to the ground for gathering the hay or grain, and after it has received a load it may be readily raised to'a horizontal or upwardly-inclined position for retaining the load on it while it is being elevated by the means hereinafter described. After the tiltable fork is elevated the operating arm or lever 29 is operated to swing the fork downwardly for discharging the load.

The load is raised by a fork-elevating lever 31, consisting of a trussed frame fulcrumed between its ends on an oscillatory fulcrum 32-, both of which parts are constructed substantially the same as those shown and de scribed in the said patent, but they may be varied in construction to obtain the desired strength and lightness. The sides of the swinging fulcrum are hinged at their lower ends to the loader-frame and are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the forkelevating lever by means of a transverse rod 33. The sides of the fork-elevating lever are arranged at an angle, being converged rearwardly, and the front ends of the sides are hinged to the cross-bar 15 of the verticallyswinging fork-carrying frame. The crossbar 15 is provided with projecting ears or flanges 34, which receive the sides of the forkelevating lever. The rear arm of the forkelevating lever is swung downwardly or rearwardly, and the fork-carrying frame is raised, carrying with it the tiltable fork. This movement also swings the fulcrum 32 rearward and enables the tiltable fork to be moved upward by the lever 31. The connectin -bars 21 are arranged in substantially parafielism with the sides of the fork-carrying frame, and the upright levers are disposed in substantially parallelism with the guard of the tiltable fork, whereby when the latter moves upward it willbe maintained in the same position with relation to the ground throughout its entire movement.

The rear end of the fork-elevating lever is connected to one end of a cable 35, which extends downward to a guide-pulley 36 and forwardly therefrom to a drum 37. The guide-pulley is mounted on the loader-frame, and the drum, which is loosely arranged on the transverse drive-shaft, is provided at one end with a clutch-face 38, arranged to be engaged by a sliding clutch collar or sleeve 39, which is slidably connected with the shaft by means of a suitable key and keyway. The sliding clutch-collar is provided with an annular groove into which extends one arm of an L-shaped shiftin lever 40, fulcrumed at its angle on the loader-frame and having its other arm connected by a rod or wire 41 with an operating-lever 42, located at the back of the loader-frame. The operating-lever 42 is arranged adjacent to the seat and is provided with a spring-actuated detent arranged to engage a curved ratchet 43 for holding the sliding clutch collar or section out of engagement with the drum. When the lever 42 is released, the sliding clutch section or collar is automatically engaged with the clutchface of the drum by means of a coiled s ring 44, mounted on a transverse shaft an engaging the outer end of the clutch section or collar. The drum, which is adapted to have the cable wound on it for elevating the tiltable fork, is provided with ratchet-teeth 45, which are engaged by a check-pawl 46, adapted to prevent retrograde rotation of the drum. The clutch formed by the clutchface of-the drum and the sliding clutch-section will permit the transverse shaft or axle to rotate backward freely; but the drum will ITO J be held against such backwardmovementby the check-pawl.

backing of the machine does not afiect the By this construction the mechanism for raising and lowering the tiltable fork. The check-pawl consists of one arm of a substantially L-shaped lever which has its other arm 4-7 connected with one end of a brake-band 48. The brake band, which has one end'secured to the loader-frame, is

arranged to en age a portion of'the drum, andwhen the ever is oscillated vto lift the check-pawl out 'of engagement with the drum the brake-band will be carried into engage ment' with the same and will be-adapted to control the downward movement of the-tilt able fork. The lever, which engages the ratchet of the drum, is provided with a con- .tralbearing portion 49 which ofisets its arms from each other and which forms a rock: shaft. The brake-band-receiving arm is connected by a rod or Wire with an operatinglever 51, located adjacentto the seat 6 and nected with t e check-pawl or drum-engag' arranged within easy reach of the driver;

'ing arm of the lever for'returning the "same automatically The horses are hitched to the sides of-the loader frame, which is provided with suitable holdbacks 54, and asthelnachine moves forward over the'ground the fork will rake upthe hay or rain, which will accumulate-on the tiltable ork'. The tiltable fork is adapted'to' be adjusted to a downwardly-inclined position to suit the character of the'ground and to properly" rake the hay or grain. After a sufficient quantity has accumulated .on the tiltableforkthe clutch operating lever is ma nipulated to cause the drive-shaft to rotate f the'dru'm. As-the drum rotates, the cable the will-be wound thereon, drawing down the rear end of the. forkelevating lever. The

sired distance-the clutch isthrown out of en gagement with the drum, which will be held against backward movement by the checkpawl or arm of .the drumengaging lever.

The machine is then run to the stack or to the place of discharge, andthe tiltable fork is dumped manipulating the operating armor lever 29. As soon as the load is discharged t and the machine is moved from thelstack the tiltable fork maybe gradually lowered to the ground by means =of'the brake, 'whichfis con nected' with the'drum-engaging lever.

Itwill be seen that the tiltable fork is ad jus'tablein anyf'ofits several positions and desired toits engaging position when; 1t 1s free to-move.

angle for raking hay or grain and that it may be raised to a horizontal or upwardlyinclined position 'toretain the desired accu-, mulation on it when it is elevated. Also it will be clear that the lever foro eratingthe 'checkawl also controls the bra re-band and that t e movement for disengaging. the check-pawl from the drum carries the brakeband into movement with the same. The spring, which returns the check-pawl to its position, operates to throw the brake-ban off the 'drum.

Having thus fully described my invention, and desire to secure bye what I claim'as-new, Letters Patent, is 1 a 1'. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a loader-frame, a vertically movable fork-carrying frame, a tiltable fork mounted on the fork-carrying frame, and 0 crating mechanism for positively tilting t e fork 1n either direction and for also positively holding the same against movement on its pivot in either direction when not actuated by such operating mechanism, said op-' erating mechanismembodying an adjustin device mounted on the loader-frame, an connecting ;means mounted on the fork-carrying frame and connected with the said ad- 'justing device.

2.; Ina machine of the class described, the combination of a loader-frame, a verticallyswinging fork-frame, a tiltable forkmounted on the fork-frame, a lever fulcrumed' onthe fork-frame and connected with the'tiltable fork,' and an adjustin device mounted on the loaderframe an said lever..

connected with the 3. In'a machine of the class described, the

combination of a loader-frame, a verticallyswinging fork-frame, a tiltable fork mounted 1 on the fork frame, a lever fulcrumed be tween its-ends on the fork-frame, means for connecting'one of the arms of'the leverwith the fork, "and an adjusting device mounted on the loader-frame and connected with the other'armof'the lever; swin ing'of the fork elevating lever. raises f ork, =ashereinbefore described.v After the tiltable fork has been. elevated the dee I 4. In a machine of the class described, the

,Withthe lower arms' of the levers.

5. Ina machineof the class described,-the

combination :of a loader-frame, a verticallyswinging fork-carrying frame, a tiltable fork mounted on the fork-carrying frame, a forkelevating lever connected with the fork-can; rying frame, a swinging fulcrum for the lever, and operating mechanism for positivelytilt5== ing the fork in either direction and for also.

that it may-be inclined downwardly at the positively holding the same against movement on its pivot in either direction when In testimony that I claim the foregoing as not'actuated by such operating mechanism, my own I have hereto aflixed my signature said operating mechanism com rising an adin the presence of two witnesses.

justing device mounted on the ioader-frame, GRANT PLUMMER.

5 and connecting means mounted on and mov- Witnesses:

able with the fork-carrying frame and con- G. M. BROOKS,

PETER SADULEY.

necting the fork with the adjusting device. 

